Making ACT home-building more energy-efficient is going to be a harder task than promulgating a four-star energy rating. A wholesale change of attitude in the industry is required. And, according to architect Peter Overton, it is not happening. Builders are continuing to knock up three-bedroom, brick veneers in much the same way as they used to, with a few extras to meet the energy standard. The mindset appears to be that the four-star rating is a nuisance and bare minimum compliance is the aim. The focus is almost totally on cost.
A large problem is the first-home market where any deviation from the standard home incurs extra cost, and the standard home is not an energy efficient one. Chipboard floors, single glazing, standard floorplans irrespective of orientation on the block, and so on, result in energy inefficient houses. They also result in large heating bills, but as they are first, not to be lived in long, the buyers, like the builders do not care.
In the long run, of course, the whole community suffers through the long-term inefficiency. It is a good example of how the marketplace does not deliver the most efficient use of resources. Rather the marketplace provides the cheapest house, not the most efficient one.
When the four-star rating was introduced, the building industry resisted, saying it would add up to $2000 to the cost of a house. However, a lot of the efficiency requirements, particularly wall insulation, north-facing windows and double glazing, are much cheaper to put in place during construction than afterwards.
The industry needs to change its attitude or face further regulation in the interest of efficiency.